Forging a Relationship
by BackwoodsWordsmith
Summary: *the Hidden Talent Series is very much alive, and will be updated soonish.*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½, and I'm not making any money for this, so please don't sue…. Please?

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// \\ = Amazonian Mandarin

"" = Japanese

'' = thoughts

Set Post-Saffron, three months after the Bombed Wedding.

A few small liberties were taken in reference to the structure of the Nekohanten. Namely, one wall of the kitchen, the one adjoining the dining room, is now a three-foot counter with a gap to come and go, but otherwise open. This will allow the aromas of excellent food cooking to flow into the dining room, making everyone who comes in want a bowl of Ramen. Gotta give it to Khu Lon, the old bat is smart. Secondly, Mousse has his own room, the same size as Harry Potter's, in fact. Oh, and they have a large walk-in freezer in the basement, where they store all the food they use in the restaurant.

Forging a Relationship: a Ranma ½ oneshot. (maybe)

"_Remember, child, that even the best steel must first be shaped by hammer and fire. Then it must be ground and sharpened on the whetstone, so that all rough edges are smoothed, and the edge ground keen and bright. Then it must be hardened in fire and water. If it survives, then, and only then, may it be called a warrior. What, you thought I was talking about swords? Foolish child…."_

_Amazon Elder Rha Zur, Master Bladesmith_

"Mousse, you lazy male, get down here! Lunch rush starts in an hour, and you still have to sweep the floor and set the tables up! I swear, that male's more trouble than he's worth…" Her voice trailed off as she pogo-ed into the kitchen on her gnarled staff.

Mousse sighed, and stopped his weapon inventory. Even only partially finished, it showed some disturbing lacks, and a few downright absences, a thing which he couldn't remember happening since the time he was ten. He was even down to his last seventeen knives! Resolving to finally succeed in his request for some time off, he vowed to double his efforts today, in the hopes of impressing the old ghoul.

Grabbing two trays of individually wrapped sets of chopsticks, he stuffed them in one of his stuffspace pockets and reached for his apron. 'I guess I'd better get this over with…' With that cheery thought in mind, he opened the door and went downstairs.

Watching Mousse with half an eye, Khu Lon stirred the beef broth, and decided to add a touch of salt to the chicken broth. Most Japanese ramen shops used tempura flakes, but if you didn't strain the broth at just the right moment, it came out too salty. She preferred using chicken, as it had a better flavor. She just had to avoid boiling the broth, lest it become cloudy, for the Japanese were finicky eaters, and would turn up their noses at cloudy broth. Still, it made for better ramen, as many a happy customer could attest.

Deciding to wait another minute before stirring the chicken broth, she turned her attention to Mousse, and could find no fault in his actions as of yet. "I see the fool finally decided to wear those contact lenses he bought. Took him long enough." Watching as he swept the floor, setting each table as he went, she was struck by how quickly he was working. "Yep, he's going to ask for time off soon. Just as well, really. We could use another set of knives for the restaurant, and Xian Pu can finally replace her spear…"

Her mind resolved, she stirred the chicken broth, carefully, and waited for the lunch rush.

Mousse sighed as he took down the open sign and closed the door. The lunch rush had been unusually busy, with many deliveries, so he had had to wait tables for three hours before preparing for the evening rush. Deciding that now was the best time he was likely to get, Mousse walked into the kitchen and knelt down in front of Elder Khu Lon, his eyes on the floor. //Honored elder, this unworthy male would ask a favor of your most kind and understanding self.\\

'Laying it on a bit thick this time…' Feeling a flash of annoyance, the Elder decided to save herself from any more overdone sycophancy, and said, "Yes, you can have your two weeks, Mousse. Just make sure we have another set of knives for the kitchen, and Kasumi was admiring that last set of knives you did, the ones with the dragon on the blade, not the crane. I think you should make her a set of her own. I'm sure she would be very appreciative."

A few days later, as Nabiki was walking home from school, she turned the corner and spied Shampoo laying on top of the crumbled remains of the wall around the empty lot, watching some sort of loud activity within. Curious, as this was something that was not seen often around Nerima, she walked closer, and noticed that whatever it was that was going on in the empty lot, Shampoo was watching it very closely, indeed.

Deciding that she didn't want to walk all the way around the lot to get to the entrance, she asked, "What are you watching, Shampoo?"

"Am watching Mousse. Silly male is master of his craft, Shampoo give him that." Seeing the uncomprehending look on the middle Tendo's face, she grinned and extended her hand. "Should see master at work at least once in life." Seeing, for once, not a trace of scorn or anger on the face of the Amazon at the mention of Mousse, Nabiki knew she had to see something that could make this girl respect him even a little. Taking the hand offered, she scrambled up to sit on the wall, and felt her jaw drop.

There before her was Mousse, all right, but a Mousse she had never seen before. Instead of his usual long, flowing robes, he was dressed in loose-fitting trousers and a t-shirt, with a long leather apron over it all. His normally loose hair was bound tightly back into a long queue, and he had a black smudge on his cheek. However, it was his actions which surprised her the most.

He was hitting a large, glowing piece of metal with a hammer. At first, she was amused by the anachronism of an Amazon warrior forging steel in modern-day Tokyo. After a few moments, however, she was struck by the grace of his motion, and the economy of energy of his strikes. She didn't know what he was making, but it was quite obvious that he did, and before she had turned her head to ask Shampoo what it was, she could see, quite clearly, that it would be one of the scimitars he was so fond of wielding. Turning to Shampoo, she said, "I always did wonder where he got all of those weapons."

Shampoo smirked, and said, "Him youngest master smith in Joketsuzoku, ever. Since Mousse four years old, him learn his craft from the finest master bladesmith in Clan. He was journeyman smith at ten, and declared master bladesmith at twelve. In all clans of Joketsuzoku, only one smith better. Honored Elder Razor, Mousse's great-great-grandmother." Taking her sword from her scabbard, she reversed it and handed it to the middle Tendo daughter, who caught her breath when she looked closely. Running the full length of the blade, right down the center, were a series of Chinese ideograms almost too small to see, and in the exact center of the guard were engraved flower blossoms that were so life-like she wanted to bend down and sniff them.

Although Nabiki Tendo knew next to nothing about weapons, she recognized quality work when she saw it, and her yen-sense was screaming at her that it was VERY valuable. Reluctantly returning the beautifully crafted sword, she watched a little longer, then regretfully started toward home, resolving to return the next day and watch.

Kasumi Tendo cheerfully hummed a little tune as she chopped vegetable with one of the new knives Elder Cologne had so kindly given her. She especially like the very realistic dragon that ran the length of the blade, and whose feet seemed to hold tightly to the handle.

Upstairs, in the middle Tendo's room, Nabiki was once again rudely awakened by the Saotome morning ritual. Rubbing blearily at her eyes, Nabiki got up and moved to her dresser. What she saw there caused her breath to catch in her throat. Sitting on the top of the dresser was a large brass bowl filled with brightly colored pebbles, and in the middle of the bowl was an exquisitely crafted steel dragon. It was a western-style dragon, sitting up on it's haunches. It's head was turned over it's shoulder, as though it were looking about, and clutched in it's forepaws was a small red gem. Though she knew that it was merely glass by the play of light through it, it was still the most beautiful statuette she had ever seen.

Noticing a note, she opened it, and what she read there made her smile and blush. It read, simply, " I saw you watching me. And I liked it."

A/N: Just a little something I did while I'm waiting for votes in my Firefly poll. Hope you all enjoy.

The BackwoodsWordsmith


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Someone owns this stuff, but it isn't me. Not makin' any money, so please don't sue, mysterious rich-type persons!

Hidden Talents No. 2: Artistic Interpretation, a Ranma oneshot-turned-series.

Set post-Saffron, three months post-Bombed Wedding

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"_Nah, you can't plan the shape of your sculpture, you have to be able to bring out the image that's already there. It's kind of hard to explain. See, when most people look at a hunk of granite, or feldspar, or what-have-you, all they see is a chunk of rock. But I see the sculpture there, trapped in layers of stony entanglement. You just have to free the sculpture." Unknown artist_

At the height of his flight on Air Akane, Ranma looked around to get his bearings. 'Hmm, let's see…. There goes the Nekohanten, and Ucchan's, which means I'm headed out of the ward, this time. Kuso!' As he started to fall, he used minute gestures and body positions to direct his fall toward the park. Seeing the long line of holes there, and the speed at which the ground was approaching, he smiled, and carefully positioned his body for impact. Gathering his ki, he formed it into the image he wanted to create, and waited for impact.

Toshiko Haganame was getting nervous. She had promised the others they would see something incredible today, but for a group of eleven-year-olds, patience was almost unheard of. She knew that if it didn't happen soon, they would leave, and then tease her unmercifully for weeks, like that time she couldn't get the squirrel to come out of his hole.

Searching the sky anxiously, she was rewarded with a small black dot overhead, which quickly grew larger and larger, and started to glow bright blue. "Here it comes!" she shouted to her friends, who stopped talking and gathered to watch.

:WHAM!:

Quickly leaping from the hole his body had made, and being careful not to disturb the edges, Ranma examined his handiwork, and noted that it was good. Smiling, he turned and began his long walk back to the Tendo Dojo, not noticing the group of children rushing forward to see his latest addition to the quiet little park.

"See? I TOLD you nobody could have dug these holes!" little Toshiko proclaimed proudly. "Yeah, yeah, we believe you…" said one of her friends.

There before them, pressed deeply into the earth and still smoking in places, was the perfectly formed image of a horse. And it was not alone. Next to it was a bear, then a panda, then a dog, a giraffe, and so on. All in all, there were twenty-two craters, each perfectly formed and totally unique.

The next morning, as Nabiki watched the news for stock updates, Ranma smiled as he heard the announcer say, "In unrelated news, the unknown artist of Notore Park has struck again. While there is no evidence as to the identity of the artist, several local children claim that 'an angel came down and made them'. Ahh, the imagination of children. Now on to the financial news…."

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A/N: Heh. I wasn't going to continue this except for a few oneshots, but a friend of mine convinced me to just do it as a series, instead. So, here we are. Let me know what you think. the BackwoodsWordsmith


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Hmm… Now where was that disclaimer thingy? Oh, yeah… I own none of the characters involved. They are the property of their respective copyright holders. I'm not making any money, so please don't sue!

Unlike my other stories in the Hidden Talent series, this takes place shortly after Xian Pu's arrival in Nerima the second time, when she realizes she would be staying a while.

The Picture in Her Mind's Eye- a Ranma fanfic

"_One cannot simply pick up a brush and paint a picture. One must envision every detail of an image to paint a work of art. If one can envision every last detail, down to the last blade of grass and drop of dew, you must treasure that picture, and capture it faithfully, for you have seen a fleeting vision of perfection, and perfection does not last but an instant, be that instant ever so bitter-sweet."_

_Xian Pu, acclaimed muralist,Tokyo Metropolitan Museam Multi-Cultural Exhibit, March 14, 2037_

Knowing that this was her chance, Xian Pu slipped quietly from the silent chaos that would become the Nekohanten. Knowing she wouldn't be able to rest comfortably for very long unless she completed her task, she slipped silently down the alley, and turned the corner. Stopping in the shadows to make sure she had exited unseen, she waited a few minutes. Detecting no signs of any notice of her departure, she gathered her supplies and started looking for a suitable site.

Almost fifteen minutes passed before she found what she was looking for. There before her was a fully-enclosed empty lot, with an open, rusty gate set in the wall. Quickly assembling her needed supplies, she focused her mind on the one clear image in her mind's eye, an image burned there by unimaginable loss and endless nightmares. Tears flowing freely from her closed eyes, she set to work.

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As Ranma and Akane were walking to school the next morning, they saw a crowd of fellow Furinkan students and a news van gathered in front of the old empty lot. Spotting a familiar face, Akane asked Yuuka, "What's all the commotion? Was there an accident?" Yuuka smiled and responded, "No, nothing like that. We walk by this lot every day, but something wonderful happened last night. We passed by yesterday evening on our way back from the arcade, and it was the same as it's always been. Now, it's…. Well, you just have to see it, Akane! It's so beautiful, and sad…" So saying, she grabbed Akane's arm and pulled her through the crowd and entered the lot. What she saw made Akane's breath catch in her chest.

There, before her, was a forest glade, so beautiful, and so sad in it's content, it made Akane's heart ache. She had never seen it's like before, and something in her made her think she probably never would again. Every twig, every leaf, every blade of grass was faithfully and pain-stakingly detailed; even the concrete slap covering the lot had been painted with such skill that one could see the gentle rise and fall of the land, and the little brook running down the center was so real that she almost expected to hear it's gentle song gleaming in the air. However, what made her heart cry out in sorrow was the scene depicted in that beautiful forest glade.

It looked like the aftermath of a battle, but looking closely, she could see three figures still locked in mortal combat. A beautiful, purple-haired older woman, arrows transfixing her, was holding off two almost bestial-looking men. All were bleeding heavily from their wounds, and Akane knew for a fact that the woman's wounds were fatal. A well-built, handsome blue-haired man lay dead at her side, and scattered around her were the numerous bodies of their enemies, and Akane marveled at the courage and strength it would take to keep fighting with several mortal wounds. And then Akane saw the reason she was still up and fighting, when she should have been long dead.

There, somewhat behind the battle, a tiny, purple-haired little girl crouched like a terrified rabbit, knowing she was on the menu next. As Akane studied the pain etched into the girl's face, and the tears streaming from her eyes, she could not help but burst into tears herself, and she knew that this little girl, who looked no more that four, had been the artist who had created this beautiful vision of a very personal hell., and she knew that, no matter what, she would never forget

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A/N: Well, this is progressing well. Anyone have any requests about who I should do next? If you do, review and let me know or drop me a line at my email address. You can find it on my profile. Ja ne.

the BackwoodsWordsmith


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: AAAAAAHHH! SOMEONE STOLE MY DISCLAIMER!!!!! Oh, there it is…. I do not own Ranma ½. Nor do I own the song A Change is Gonna Come. I do not intend to EVER make any money on this story, so please don't sue me.

Karaoke Surprise

This story is my next in the Hidden Talents series of one-shots. If you wish to continue any of them, just let me know.

The annual Tendo Christmas party was in full swing, and for once everyone was behaving admirably. Happousai was out of town, and Cologne, Mousse, and Shampoo had gone back to their village to celebrate a local holiday. Ryouga and Ranma were being polite, and even the Kuno's were abnormally civil. Kodachi hadn't even drugged a single person yet, and Kuno was unusually fascinated with Nabiki. He had purchased the largest karaoke machine, and every song he could find in an effort to get her attention, and now that he had it, he intended to keep it.

Across the room, Kasumi was not smiling at Ryouga, who was getting very nervous. Just as he was about to have to decide whether to flee or blame Ranma, she walked up to him and said, "Ryouga-kun, you don't seem to be enjoying yourself. Is there something wrong?" Stammering in the face of what on anyone else would be a crying fit, Ryouga's reply was cut off by Ranma's irritating voice. "Nah, he's fine, Kasumi. He just don't like people ta hear him sing. Don't know why, he used ta have a fine voice…" Trying to protest, he was again cut off by Ranma. "Come on, p-chan! I did it. You gonna let me upstage you?" "Grrr…." Growling, but knowing his pride wouldn't let him back down now, Ryouga made his way to the stage.

Turning to Kasumi and grinning, Ranma said, "See? Told ya it would work." Kasumi giggled, and nodded her agreement.

On stage, Ryouga pored through the song list, until he finally had a song he liked. It was in English, but that wasn't a problem for him, as he'd been fluent since the age of six. Pressing the play button and stepping back, Ryouga grabbed the microphone.

As the sound of woodwinds filled the Dojo, all conversation died, and at the first clear, golden word from Ryouga's mouth, everyone's jaw sagged in amazement.

"I was born by a river, in a little tent,

And just like that river I been running ever since.

It's been a long, a long time comin', but I know,

A change gonna come.

"It's been too hard livin', but I'm afraid to die,

'cause I don't know what's up there, beyond the sky.

It's been a long, a long time comin', but I know,

A change gonna come. Oh, yes it will."

Looking around at the awe-struck faces staring at Ryouga, Ranma knew he'd finally won his bet with Nabiki.

Now I go to the movies, and I go downtown,

But somebody keeps tellin' me don't hang around.

It's been a long, a long time comin', but I know,

A change gonna come. Whoa, yes it will.

So now I'll go to my brother, and I'll say "Brother, help me please!"

But somehow he winds up knockin' me back down on my knees,

Whoa, there were times when I thought I wouldn't last for long,

But now I think I'm able, able to carry on,

It's been a long, a long time comin', but I know,

A change gonna come.

A change gonna come.

As the last of the music died away, Ranma walked across the room to Nabiki. Breaking herself from her state of shock, Nabiki tried unsuccessfully to glare at Ranma, before giving in and saying, "Okay, you win Ranma. I was shocked. That's five thousand yen off your debt to me. Now go away, I'm busy." So saying, she turned back to Kuno.

Smirking, he walked across the room to Akane, who was now scowling at him. Wordlessly, he held his hand out, and Akane growled before laying a crisp ten thousand yen note in his hand. "OK, you win, she was surprised. So was I. Who knew Ryouga could sing so well?"

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A/N: My first attempt at a song-fic. I just couldn't think of a good talent for Ryouga, so I just made him sing. Please review, that's the only way for us to know what works and what doesn't.


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